The Price of Losing Saltiness

CEBU, Philippines - “So how was your day?” the Salt Shaker asked the Pepper Shaker. “It’s been a pretty hot day for me,” said the Pepper Shaker.

“I can clearly see that,” the Salt Shaker said as it melted in salty tears. “These humans don’t care much about putting iodized salt in their food preparations.”

“All these humans want is something hot and spicy and that makes me very popular, Mr. Salt Shaker,” the Pepper Shaker spoke with arrogance. “Better stay in the far corner of this shelf rack before these cretins throw you somewhere.”

Just then, a hulky boy was approaching the condiment rack, “O...oh” said the Pepper Shaker, “here comes the cretin boy again. Duck, hide…” But the cretin boy had started to throw the condiment bottle shakers out of the shelf.

“Stop Billy, stop,” a woman screamed following him. Billy was born with slow mental faculties. Physicians called it cretinism, a congenital deficiency of thyroid secretion resulting in mental retardation.

Salt Shaker hit the wall before it fell and rolled heavily on the floor just in time for the woman to pick it up. It had not been easy for her after doctors diagnosed her son was born with thyroid deficiency and that he would be a mental retardate for life. It had been preventable had she known that iodized salt was needed in her diet during pregnancy.

All that is past now as she reverted to self-pity over the condition of her son. The boy had calmed down and ran out of the house to play outside. Meanwhile, the woman arranged the bottled condiments. She neatly put the salt shaker first on the left side of the rack so she would not forget to use iodized salt when cooking, then the pepper shaker, then the cinnamon, parmesan….

“Whew, that was a close one, Pepper Shaker,” Salt Shaker said as he shook off dust from his bottle. “You mean, hot and explosive that child,” said the Pepper Shaker.

“You don’t understand him. And you should not blame him for behaving that way,” said the Salt Shaker.

Despite inroads of having conquered cancer in the 21st century, there may still remain overlooked jagged edges. To date, about 130 countries with approximately 2.2 billion people are at risk of iodine deficiency disorders. Of these 2.2 billion, about 750 million are from developing countries. The most vulnerable groups of the disorder are children, adolescents and pregnant women.

 SALT FOR THE BRAIN.

When Jesus the Christ told his disciples “you are the salt of the earth,” there was an implication to it. He may have literally meant it that salt, especially iodized salt, is necessary for the secretion of thyroid hormones. When God designed the human body, He created iodine as an essential element built into the chemical structure of thyroid hormones. The human body needs iodine for the thyroid to produce essential hormones called thyroxine and triodothyronine. These hormones help to regulate metabolism, growth and development of the body. God also made sure there would be an abundance of iodine in the earth and sea. Iodine is abundant in saltwater fish, sea vegetables as well as in fruits and vegetables grown on land. What causes the deficiency is diet and eating habit problems.

Deficiencies in iodine leads to decreased secretion of hormones in the thyroid gland that lead to goiter or the swelling of the thyroid gland manifested as a lump in the neck. Iodine deficiency also causes a condition called cretinism which is characterized by developmental and mental delays. Other disorders caused by iodine deficiency are stillbirth, perinatal death, stunted growth and other types of hypothyroidism and severe consequences such as mental retardation accompanied with hearing and speech defects. Iodine deficiency though is fully preventable through diet. Best of all, the cure is abundant and cheap — you only have to use iodized salt when preparing and preserving food.

Iodine is a micronutrient and dietary mineral that is naturally present in the food supply chain such as fruits, vegetables and sources of food near sea costs. Where natural levels of iodine in the soil are low and iodine is not taken up by vegetables, iodine is added to salt to provide the essential amount of iodide needed by humans. Iodized salt is described as table salt mixed with a minute amount of iodine. The ingestion of iodide prevents iodine deficiency.

What is the difference between ordinary table salt and iodized salt? Table salt with iodide slowly loses its iodine content through the process of oxidation and iodine evaporation. Despite a universal movement of manufacturing iodized salt, many are still hesitant to use iodized salt purportedly because it is priced higher than ordinary rock or table salt. Others are not aware of its benefits while others simply refuse to make the lifestyle change to use iodized salt.

Just one-fourth teaspoon

Among others, the use of iodized salt improves brain functions such as memory, concentration and the ability to learn. Researches have shown that iodine deficiency can lower IQ by as much as 15 points. Another benefit is that iodized salt can help fight depression. Because of the strong correlation between nutrition and depression, it was found that depression and feelings of anxiety and frustration may be the result of iodine deficiency. Iodized salt can help ensure hormones stabilize the secretion of neurotransmitter and neurochemical fluids that alleviate emotions.

Where iodine is important for regulating metabolism, iodized salt can help in weight control. When metabolism is too high or low, a person may not gain a healthy weight. Iodine in iodized salt helps to regulate the metabolism. Iodized salt can increase energy levels so that a person can exercise more. Likewise, iodized salt can help to remove harmful metals such as lead and mercury as well as other harmful toxins from the body. This helps restore pH levels in the body.

How much iodized salt do you need? About 150 micrograms a day is the recommended daily allowance. This is equivalent to one fourth to one half teaspoon of iodized salt daily. One teaspoon of iodized salt typically offers around 400 micrograms.

Mr. Salt Shaker stood at the corner of the shelf rack watching the mother of the boy prepare a stew of vegetables. If it could only speak, the salt shaker would have wanted her to use iodized salt. She poured the ready to mix seasoning instead. Mr. Salt Shaker merely shook its head.

When fright strikes

If your child wakes up crying in the middle of the night and has trouble getting back to sleep, chances are he’s had a nightmare. These scary episodes of dreaming bugs in the bed and monsters in the closet hide meanings that parents should look into.

A nightmare is a bad dream that usually involves imagined danger or threat to people having it. It may involve disturbing images or figures of monsters, ghosts, animals, or bad people running after them.

Night terrors are extremely common in children, especially during preschool years. As part of children’s normal development, they begin to imagine and understand things that exist that might hurt them. The level of their fantasy becomes higher and sometimes uncontrollable.

Children don’t need to suffer nightmares alone. As parents, it is important to break the spell of nightmares to give immediate comfort. To help a child restore the capacity to sleep again, parents ought to know what to do to tame scary nightmares.

Nightmares may be caused by a lot of reasons, from simple to disturbing ones. Most of the time, nightmares are results of a frightening experience, such as being scared by a large barking dog to scary scenes on TV to traumatic incidents.

A child’s nightmares may also stem from listening to horror stories, watching a disturbing show, or feeling stressed due to schoolwork. Problems in the family such as separation of parents and financial challenges could add up to the emotional burden.

When parents show unacceptable behaviors towards his child or to others, this sometimes translates into “monster” dreams. A nagger teacher or a bully playmate can be a human monster in his dreams. These translations reflect the emotional stress developed .

Nightmares are a normal response of a child to stressful events. When you hear your child shouting in the middle of a deep sleep, it is highly important to find out what the nightmare is.

Physical reassurance is important. Hug the child or rub his back until he calms down. Give him ample time to tell you about the nightmare but don’t press him if he doesn’t want to. You can talk with him when he is ready or when daylight comes.

Reassuring words, like “It was only a dream”, can make him feel at ease. If he’s still upset, be patient. We all know what nightmares look like in our dreams-they seem so real. His favorite stuffed toy can also be used as a security object for him to feel relaxed.

Children’s imagination is quite active when the light is off. This is the time when they see imaginary enemies in the corner of his room. A low nightlight on your child’s bedroom can also lessen the growing fantasy of your child on hidden monsters.

Often, nightmares can result to bedtime struggles and refusal to go back to sleep. At this time, don’t leave the child while he’s still recovering from a bad dream. If he falls asleep, from time to time, visit his room. There is no better remedy for nightmares than constant comfort of a parent.

Teach your child coping skills to respond to these night terrors. Let your child imagine happy thoughts, such as the time the family was in the beach or the time he won his first medal. Through this, terrifying thoughts are diverted to more positive memories.

Make a peaceful bedtime routine-a warm bath, an inspiring story, a song, or a hot glass of milk. These ways can help ward off nightmares by calming his senses. Limit the time you allow your child to use the TV, computer, and other gadgets. Technologies can bother a child when he is overexposed to them.

If you suspect anxiety or stress is behind the bad dreams, try talking to your child about what might be bothering him during the daylight hours. If nightmares persist and leads to other serious problems like insomnia, bring it up to his doctor. Recurring bad dreams could be a sign of an emotional issue that needs immediate response.

Every nightmare, distressing or terrifying, holds vital information about the emotional challenges a child is going through. Parents, as the closest people to the child, need to stand by and even rescue him from a terrifying memory of a pack a wolves running after him during a bad dream. (Source:  www.calgaryschild.com)

The article, titled “When fright strikes “, aims not only to identify characteristics of nightmares in children but also to guide parents on how they can  respond when their children experience such sleep disturbance, as part of early childhood care and development (ECCD).

ECCD is one of the advocacies of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), through the Dolores Aboitiz Children’s Fund (DACF). (FREEMAN)